Henry Winter

This is really poor by @FA. The governing body is supposed to protect players. It should be disputing this regulatory commission verdict by members drawn from the FA judicial panel. Max Dowman could have suffered a bad injury to his standing leg from a dangerous challenge which went unpunished. Arsenal 16-year-old shouldn’t have reacted but his frustration was understandable. Some other players might have rolled around and ensured a bad challenge was punished. Dowman didn’t. He doesn’t stay down. The FA should have shown some understanding towards Dowman. Instead, it has suspended him for three games. FA priorities all wrong: tolerating a poor challenge and some weak refereeing but punishing a kid who objected to a bad challenge that could have dealt him a serious injury. Protect players. #AFC

Joe Gomez and Wesley Fofana. Two players, two stories. Column. #LFC #CFC henrywinterfootball.substack…

Another very promising performance from Trey Nyoni. Nurtured by Leicester, now flourishing at Liverpool. Unfazed facing Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia of Chelsea last night. 19-year-old midfielder, impressing at 6 (can play 8), and clearly trusted by team-mates to take the ball under pressure. Kept taking up intelligent positions, occasionally splitting centre-backs or dropping into space for a pass from Virgil van Dijk. Composed distribution encouraged further by Andoni Iraola, who wants Nyoni to be progressive in his passing, picking out the forwards when opportunity shows. Nyoni's qualities also include balance, press-resistance and fearlessness. Some well-timed interventions, including on Morgan Rogers, then turning away with the ball from Lavia. Dummy to deceive Valentin Barco. Impressed in pre-season, developing well under Iraola, good alternative to Ryan Gravenberch when required. Also progressing through England age-groups: 16s, 17s, 18s, 19s, 20s and called into 21s earlier this month. Nyoni only 19, still developing and will learn so much around Van Dijk and others. Hugely promising future. #LFC

Joe Gomez - what a penalty. Emphatic. Wesley Fofana - what a poor penalty. Into the Kop. Crazy shootout. Liverpool through. #CarabaoCup #LIVCHE

Michael Carrick is in positive mood, focused, and determined to turn Manchester United fortunes around. But the club he loves, United, is divided. Christian Purslow & I examine recruitment and ownership issues @FootyBoardroom #MUFC youtu.be/FMNsmoZNDR8 open.spotify.com/episode/6ZI…

Max Dowman: some thoughts. A little bit of understanding and support would not go amiss for a targeted teenager who wants to play the game the right way, who doesn’t roll around on the ground when struck by a bad challenge, and he gets hit by a few. Officials take note. Coaches take note. There’s a balance with young talents of toughening them up physically and mentally while protecting them. There's a balance between admonishment for a mistake and encouragement to learn. Everyone wants to see Dowman fulfil his huge potential and develop into a major player for Arsenal and, eventually, England. Dowman is a special young talent, still only 16, still with the ink drying on his GCSE papers. He's still a kid, still learning. There have been (premature) calls for Dowman to be fast-tracked into England Under-21s, even the seniors. A month ago Thomas Tuchel and Lee Carsley conferred on Dowman and sensibly agreed his development would best be served by games with the Under-19s. “Max is always in the conversation because of his talent,” Carsley said. That talent has seen Dowman become the Premier League’s youngest ever goalscorer, become the youngest player in the Champions League, and also get targeted. He gets a kicking, nine times in an Under-19s international against Spain last year. On returning to Arsenal, Dowman was encouraged by his manager Mikel Arteta to learn from Bukayo Saka about the art of dealing with such aggression. It was all about avoiding contact and “to learn when to release the ball”. Arteta also praised Dowman’s “football IQ” with the “super smart” way he makes decisions, praise indeed. It’s impressive in one so young. His two red cards this month, one for England Under-19s against the USA behind closed doors in Marbella and now for Arsenal against Fleetwood Town, need placing in context. Trend or blip? Dowman, who usually has a composed temperament, suffered a number of robust challenges from the USA when he snapped and put in a strong challenge of his own. Some of those present in the game felt it was only a yellow. Dowman's not a petulant player, but his frustration spilled over at the aggression put in on him. Similar to last night. There were some robust League Two challenges going in from Fleetwood players on the English champions' winger, testing his temperament, and after 85 minutes he reacted. The focus was on his silly kick out towards Harrison Neal, a soft red but still a red under the Laws, when the focus should also have been on Neal’s challenge which could have injured Dowman. No card was issued against Neal. Michael Salisbury is an experienced referee, 16 years on the list, including now five years in the Premier League. Like all officials, Salisbury has a duty of care to all players to ensure they are not put at risk by bad challenges. Neal got the ball but the force and pace of his follow-through endangered Dowman, whose standing foot was momentarily trapped. Dowman, any player, deserved some protection from challenges like that. He also deserved some compassion from Arteta. It’s one thing having strong words in passing if a senior player was trooping off, red-carded, down the tunnel. But Dowman is 16, probably still fuming with the tackle on him, and frustration at dismissal and inevitable feeling of letting the team down. Dowman didn’t need the most important person in his professional life, Arteta, to compound his misery with a frosty few words as he headed towards the tunnel. He's 16. He wasn't being petulant. He was reacting to a bad challenge. Maybe Arteta was trying to make the point again about Dowman having to withstand such tackles, and not reacting. Arteta told reporters after the game that he had spoken pre-match to Dowman and the other players of the need for emotional control in such an intense occasion. Fair enough, Dowman will learn. Whatever Arteta's frustration, it felt harsh and small-minded by such a successful, established manager. Officials take note too. It’s worth recalling that Arteta’s club contacted the authorities when they felt Saka was being targeted with bad challenges. Talents - all players - deserve protection. #AFC

The Hand of Cod. Good save from Fleetwood keeper Jay Lynch. Hate those stuttering pens, though. Poor from Bruno Guimaraes. Contrast to the Fleetwood pens, calm, expert. Arsenal out. Congratulations to Fleetwood Town #CarabaoCup

Heavy challenge by Neal on Dowman, welcome to L2 tackling, probably given as a red in PL, could have trapped Dowman’s planted leg. 16-year-old reacted, kicked Neal, sent off, can’t complain. Not a lot of sympathy from Arteta. Disappointing. Kid could have done with some support.

Game of drones. Crazy disruption and delay. So frustrating for players and fans. Game resumes. #FLEARS

So Michael Carrick stays for now, according to reports. Good – because he cares deeply about the Club and, whatever his limitations as a manager, Carrick is not the real problem at United. The problem patently lies in recruitment/ownership. Recruitment needs addressing with a clear-out and proper investment in players with the right character as well as the right ability (and in the right positions, starting with defence). But the concerns are obvious. Will the players who doubt him raise their game? What will happen if they surrender again, this time at Chelsea? Will Bruno Fernandes start or remain captain? Is it also simply a case of the club playing for time while they pursue potential successors? It seems an uneasy truce, a temporary ceasefire. Let's hope the players, whatever they think of Carrick, look in the mirror, realise they are very much part of the problem, take responsibility and fight for the cause. United players owe it to the fans. #MUFC

From dressing-room to boardroom, where have all the leaders gone at Manchester United? The leader who cares most looks history. What a mess. Column #MUFC henrywinterfootball.substack…

“Congratulations Harry on a deserved Ballon D’Or!” Thomas Tuchel’s message to his #ENG captain Harry Kane. “I ran out of superlatives to describe your performances a long time ago, but I’m delighted to see that you have now been formally recognised by the football world. To become the first Englishman to win this huge honour in 25 years makes it extra special and we are lucky to have you as our leader. I know you will enjoy this moment with your loved ones and then get back to doing what you do best – scoring goals and winning football matches.” #BallonDor

Congratulations to Harry Kane #ballondor 🙌🙌

Bournemouth have just beaten AC Milan and Manchester United 3-0. But how do a club of their size keep getting it right? Good recruitment for a start, offering talents opportunity and a pathway. Brazilians help. I join the great @Tim_Vickery to discuss Rayan & Evanilson in the latest episode of Futebol & Football. Plus we look at Jose Mourinho's El Clásico victory and debate the art of captaincy as practised by Diego Maradona, Bobby Moore and others. youtu.be/vpIabLNbMuo Watch now on FC Camisa!

Those who care most about Manchester United – the fans and Michael Carrick – are those who have been let down the most by owners and players. #MUFC Column @FourFourTwo fourfourtwo.com/team/henry-w…

When Jose Mourinho’s career was analysed and celebrated in that Netflix three-parter it felt almost a farewell to elite football, the credits rolling on a spectacular touchline show. Mourinho was filmed looking at his trophy collection, taking a walk along the beach and down memory lane, lost in his reflections. But there’s always another episode in the Mourinho show. Writing him out of the great script of modern football drama is impossible. The box office remains open. Last night’s 2-1 victory in El Clasico at Camp Nou was classic Mourinho. He ripped up the script and tore down those headlines questioning his qualities on his return to Real. He got his tactics spot on, keeping it compact, only 37% possession and hitting on the counter. Mourinho created the perfect platform for the clinical Kylian Mbappe, had Marc Cucurella control Lamine Yamal and saw a master-class from the world-class Jude Bellingham. Mourinho even put in a vintage knee-slide. He's not won a title for 11 years (back at Chelsea) but there's always another episode in the Mourinho show. #RMCF

Bournemouth’s excellence should not be overlooked in all the inevitable forensic frenzy over Manchester United’s shambles. Deserved 3-0 winners at Old Trafford. 5-0 would not have flattered them. They targeted United's weaknesses - openness in midfield, lack of belief, pace and concentration at the back. Bournemouth superior in every department to United, including off the field in recruitment and general running of a club. Bournemouth's starting XI at Old Trafford cost only £169.5m. How much is the MOTM Rayan worth now? At least double the £24m Bournemouth paid for him. Or James Hill, who cost them £1.6m. Superb today. Or Evanilson, Bournemouth’s goal machine, the king of Brazil, the No 9 who scored one of the goals of the month, and was relentless in his pursuit of the ball and pressing United’s creaking defence. Cost £31m; worth double now. At least. Or the widely-coveted Junior Kroupi returning from injury. Cost Bournemouth £12m; already featured in £80m headlines. Smart recruitment. Good characters as well as good characters. Good performances throughout. Again. Four wins on the spin, four clean sheets in a row, 11 goals scored. Players fitting into Marco Rose’s tweaking of the successful system he inherited; more breaking at pace through the middle as well as wing-play. Board’s appointment of Rose looking shrewd. Well-run team, well-run club 🙌 #AFCB🍒

Some thoughts on the mess at Manchester United, including the crisis of leadership throughout. The only blameless people are the fans. #MUFC